1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to garments. More particularly, the invention relates to a shirt in which the collar does not shrink noticeably in size when laundered, and in which the collar is expandable circumferentially to enable the collar to adjust to slight variations in neck size, thereby making it more comfortable to wear. The expandable collar of the invention also accommodates a small range of different neck sizes, enabling fewer shirt sizes to be manufactured and inventoried. Further, the expandable collar of the invention is easier to button because of the slight stretch or yield of the material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shirts having collars, e.g., dress shirts, are normally sold in sizes based upon the circumference of the collar and the length of the sleeves. Manufacturers presently make shirts with actual neck sizes that are slightly greater than the marked size in order to compensate for shrinkage when the shirt is laundered. Moreover, shirts are typically manufactured with collar sizes varying in half-inch increments, e.g., 15, 15½, 16, 16½ etc. These incremental sizes enable most users to find a comfortable fit, but require a large number of different sizes to be manufactured and inventoried. Moreover, the wearer's neck size may vary slightly during the course of a day, or over some other period of time, and a previously selected neck size may become uncomfortable or inappropriate. Further, even when the shirt fits comfortably, it is sometimes difficult to button the collar button.
In conventional shirts, a neckband having inner and outer panels and an interfacing is sewn between the body of the shirt and the collar. A button and button hole are provided in opposite ends of the neckband to secure the neckband and thus the collar about the neck of the wearer. The weave of the fabric of the neckband and the collar is placed or oriented so that the weft runs circumferentially and the warp runs perpendicularly thereto. There is very little, if any, yield of this material in a circumferential direction. When the shirt is laundered, the threads typically shrink in length by three to five percent. Consequently, in a shirt having a sixteen inch neck size, for example, the shrinkage in a circumferential direction can be greater than one-half inch. This makes the shirt uncomfortable or impossible to wear.
Various solutions to the problem have been offered in the prior art. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,842 to Franklin, reinforced stitching is placed in the neckband during manufacture of the shirt, with the stitching extending generally transversely of the length of the neckband, and resembling the stitching around a button hole. If the collar becomes too tight for some reason, the fabric in the area bordered by the stitching can be cut, thereby enabling the neckband to expand slightly, effectively increasing the length of the neckband. The opening formed by cutting the material bordered by the reinforced stitching is bottom edges of the neckband remain unaffected. Thus, elongation of the neckband is limited due to the restraining effect of the stitching at the top and bottom edges of the neckband. Moreover, in order for the invention shown in this patent to be operative, it is necessary for the user to cut the fabric bordered by the reinforced stitching.
Other solutions to this problem have been offered by U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,485 to Tucker, U.S. Pat. No. 2,087,532 to Shepherd, U.S. Pat. No. 2,996,723 to Ainslie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,377 to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,808 to Ambrose and U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,884 to Sherman. All of these patents rely upon some form of elastic material to permit the circumference of the collar to expand to accommodate to different neck sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,101,380 to Alston discloses a different arrangement, wherein a box pleat is formed completely along the back of the shirt and through the neckband, with an adjustable strap and buckle to enable the pleat to be closed or opened.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,853 to Millican discloses another arrangement, wherein multiple fasteners are provided in order to adjust the circumference of the shirt collar, depending upon which fastener is selected.
Many of these prior art arrangements are relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture, and/or require specific action or manipulation by the user, and/or apply a constant compressive force to the neck.
In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,686, the threads forming both the warp and the weft in the weave of the neckband and collar were placed on a bias, whereby shrinkage in the length of the threads has negligible effect on the circumferential dimension of the collar. Moreover, placement of the threads on a bias enables the fabric to yield or stretch in a circumferential direction. Further, in this patent the edges of the interfacing may be cut in a zig-zag pattern and secured only at the peaks, enabling it to stretch or expand along with the collar. The stitching joining the neckband and the collar can also be in a zig-zag or other pattern so that the stitching itself does not impede stretching of the collar. Although the structure employed in this application would avoid shrinkage, that fact was not recognized at the time.
In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,926, an expandable collar was accomplished by use of expandable slits in the neckband. Although this approach solved the “comfort” problem, it requires an additional manufacturing step, moreover, if the collar is raised or folded up, the slits are noticeable to the wearer and those near him. This patent did not teach any feature that would avoid shrinkage.
The present invention provides a simple and economical means associated with the neckband of a shirt to avoid shrinkage of the neckband in a circumferential direction when the shirt is laundered, and also to enable the neckband to yield in a circumferential direction to compensate for an increase or decrease in the neck size of the user, and to enable a shirt manufactured in a single neck size to comfortably fit persons having different neck sizes, without producing a noticeably different appearance to the wearer or those near him. Additionally, a stretchable fabric can be used in the manufacture of the neckband that is especially soft and comfortable when placed next to the skin, and without altering manufacturing techniques or affecting the appearance of the shirt.